


Zoro and Sanji and some awkward but vital conversations

by phantomofthehoepera



Series: Assorted Tales From Blue City And Its Residents [2]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Gen, M/M, Meeting the Parents, implied/referenced french, that's it that's the plot you need nothing more, zoro is gay mihawk is a bit of a jerk and sanji is french very sorry about that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-18
Updated: 2020-07-18
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:06:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25365817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phantomofthehoepera/pseuds/phantomofthehoepera
Summary: ”I have a boyfriend,” he blurted out. ”Kinda. Like it’s not official or anything but it’s pretty serious-””Congratulations,” Mihawk interrupted him.”Poor guy,” Perona said.”Thank you and fuck you.” Zoro nodded to Mihawk then glared at Perona, before continuing. ”There’s just a bit of an issue. And you have to promise not to be mad.”
Relationships: Dracule Mihawk & Perona & Roronoa Zoro, Roronoa Zoro/Vinsmoke Sanji
Series: Assorted Tales From Blue City And Its Residents [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1836874
Comments: 30
Kudos: 341





	Zoro and Sanji and some awkward but vital conversations

**_z0r0:_ ** _coast is clear_

**_snoodles:_ ** _I’ll b there in five_

Zoro closed his phone, then went back out into the house to double check that Mihawk was really gone. And Perona too, for good measure. Then, he stopped in front of the bathroom mirror and just barely had time to run a hand through his hair to make sure it looked decent before the doorbell rang. 

”It’s open!” he yelled, as he made his way down the stairs, reaching the hallway just as Sanji closed the door behind himself. 

”Hey.” He combed through his hair again, no doubt messing it up this time, but Sanji didn’t seem to notice, too busy untying his boots. 

”Sorry I’m late,” he said, pulling a face that Zoro couldn’t quite see through the curtain of blonde hair but which did look like a displeased one. ”Niji noticed me going out and started asking questions.” 

”No worries.” Zoro declined to mention both that he hadn’t even noticed Sanji was late, as well as the fact that he still couldn’t for the life of him tell Sanji’s brothers apart and only referred to them by their hair colors. He’d seen pictures of them, but only met the green one in person, and that hadn’t exactly been a positive enough experience for him to want to commit the guy’s name to memory. It had just been a quick affair, as Sanji was trying to get the two of them out the front door, but it had been enough for the green one to say that he’d seen Zoro and Perona out in town a few times, call Perona hot, ask if the two of them were together and finally lose interest when Zoro had explained that he had no interest in dating his foster sister. Really, it was a good thing Sanji preferred to come over to his place, even if it meant having to time it so that his family was out. 

The two of them headed upstairs in silence. Zoro still found it a bit strange to see Sanji in his by now quite familiar house, and it made it a bit difficult for him to start any kind of conversation. It usually wore off after a while, though, he reminded himself as he opened the door to his room and let Sanji inside. 

They ended up having a quick chat over what to do for the afternoon, finally deciding that spending it all on _Smash_ seemed like an excellent plan. That did the trick for the silence problem, and soon they fell into their usual chatter about mostly nonsense. 

”No, I’m telling you.” Zoro shook his head slightly, keeping his eyes on the screen. ”Pigs are the most dangerous animals.” 

”What about bears?” 

”Bears aren’t _cannibals._ ” 

”That’s different, though,” Sanji protested. ”Just because something’s cannibalistic doesn’t make it more dangerous. If a chihuahua started eating other chihuahuas, I’d still be the more dangerous out of the two of us.”

”You and me or you and the chihuahua?” Zoro grinned as he heard Sanji groan dramatically. 

”Me and the chihuahua you bonehead. I could kick that chihuahua’s ass.” 

The mental image of Sanji fighting a chihuahua made Zoro laugh properly, which in turn made him lose focus on the game and let Sanji win. He started the next match without even asking, since the last time he had asked he’d gotten a sarcastic remark about how Sanji would rather be watching Desperate Housewives, actually, so he should just go ahead and turn off the game. 

”You wouldn’t kick a chihuahua.” Zoro wasn’t entirely sure wether that was necessarily true, but it was the first argument he came up with. ”That’s animal abuse.” 

”Yeah but if I let the cannibal chihuahua run loose I’m risking the lives of countless other chihuahuas.” Sanji shrugged. ”It’s a price I’m willing to pay.” 

”That sounds fair enough.”

”Did you just agree with me?”

”Don’t expect it to happen again.” 

The two of them fell silent again, but this time more so due to focusing on the game than for a lack of things to say. Zoro ended up winning the match, but before he could get to starting the next time, a thought struck him and simply wouldn’t leave him alone. 

”Hey,” he said and Sanji turned to him. ”Do you like, feel bad about not meeting my family?” 

The question seemed to puzzle Sanji, because he took some time before he responded. 

”I mean, I do want to meet them properly some time. But I get if you wanna wait. It’s not a big deal.” 

”Thank you,” Zoro all but sighed. ”I’ll talk to them soon. As soon as I can.” 

There came another pause, shorter this time, and ended by Sanji snorting with laughter. 

”You can be a real sweetheart sometimes, you know,” he said, and leaned over to plant a kiss on Zoro’s now warm cheek. 

”Oh yeah.” He grinned widely. ”I’ll romance the living daylights out of you, just you wait and see.” 

”Sounds like a deal.” Sanji laughed again. ”Anyway, you know what’s a _really_ dangerous animal?”

”What?”

”A swan.”

**_snoodles:_ ** _had a lot of fun today <3 _

**_z0r0:_ ** _had a lot of fun beating you at smash_

**_snoodles:_ ** _you’re horrid_

**_snoodles:_ ** _wretched_

**_snoodles:_ ** _a blight upon this world and upon my senses_

**_z0r0:_ ** _ily2_

**_snoodles:_ ** _Damn ye! Let Neptune strike ye dead Zoro! HAAARK! Hark Triton, hark! Bellow, bid our father the Sea King rise from the depths full foul in his fury! Black waves teeming with salt foam to smother this young mouth with pungent slime, to choke ye, engorging your organs til’ ye turn blue and bloated with bilge and brine and can scream no more -- only when he, crowned in cockle shells with slitherin’ tentacle tail and steaming beard take up his fell be-finned arm, his coral-tine trident screeches banshee-like in the tempest and plunges right through yer gullet, bursting ye -- a bulging bladder no more, but a blasted bloody film now and nothing for the harpies and the souls of dead sailors to peck and claw and feed upon only to be lapped up and swallowed by the infinite waters of the Dread Emperor himself -- forgotten to any man, to any time, forgotten to any god or devil, forgotten even to the sea, for any stuff for part of Zoro, even any scantling of your soul is Zoro no more, but is now itself the sea!_

**_z0r0:_ ** _how long did you have to search for that_

**_snoodles:_ ** _I’ve had it saved for two weeks_

**_snoodles:_ ** _I’ve been biding my time_

**_z0r0:_ ** _I think there might be something genuinely wrong with you_

**_snoodles:_ ** _ily2_

**_z0r0:_ ** _oh I see how it is_

A knocking on the doorframe made Zoro look up from his phone before he could send anything devastating in return. Perona was stood there, glaring at him like he’d done something wrong. 

”We’ve called you down for dinner like, five times now.”

Ah. So he had done something wrong. 

”Sorry,” he mumbled as he got up from the bed, then followed Perona downstairs to the kitchen. The smell of dinner could be felt from all the way upstairs, so it was really a miracle he’d been able to miss it. Usually, the slightest change in smell would catch his attention but it seemed the chatting took up more of his attention than he’d ever expected. He would say it was bothersome if he hadn’t been having a pretty good time.

”Sorry,” he said again, this time to Mihawk. His foster father gave him a stern look, which Zoro had learned didn’t necessarily mean he was in that much trouble. Mihawk just constantly looked a little angry (and like he was quite possibly about to turn into a bat). 

”Not to worry.” He got up from his chair and made for the stove, fetching a pot of rice to go along with what Zoro to his delight found to be stew. Mihawk’s stew wasn’t what you’d necessarily call ’good’, but Zoro couldn’t help but adore it. It tasted like years of tweaking the recipe to fit a very specific taste, like errors incorporated after they turned out to improve things. It tasted _homely_ in a way Zoro had only just started getting used to. 

Mihawk sat down again and Zoro and Perona quickly got to serving themselves, haggling over what was by far the best piece of meat in the stew until Mihawk forced them to share, which set off another spat of arguing because one of the pieces was _obviously_ larger than the other. In the end, Zoro got the smaller piece and sulked for about three seconds, until he started eating and quickly forgot about it. 

”So,” Mihawk began. ”What is it that keeps you so unresponsive upstairs?” 

Zoro nearly choked on his rice. 

It was a good window. A _perfect_ one, to talk about the Sanji thing. It was just a bit more complicated than Zoro had initially expected when he first realized that things were starting to get serious between them. 

It had actually been on the same day he met Sanji’s green brother, if he remembered correctly. He’d come home after an evening out in the town, to find Mihawk watching the news and muttering to himself about something Zoro couldn’t quite catch. He did hear what was being said on the news, though. A big name in genetic research was relocating to blue city, which wasn’t normally anything that would catch Zoro’s attention if not for the fact that this genetic scientist, or whatever it was he was, was Sanji’s dad. 

When asked, Mihawk had called Judge Vinsmoke and his extended family a ’dreadful bunch’ and referred to Judge’s twitter account for further explanation, which Zoro didn’t need, what with a direct source of information about Judge. Dreadful was a nice way of putting it, really, but he already knew that. What did worry him was the ’bunch’ part. No matter how he put it, Zoro couldn’t imagine it’d be an easy conversation to explain that he was sort of dating one of the dreadful bunch. Even if Sanji was by far the least dreadful and wouldn’t associate with them if he was paid to. 

”I was texting someone,” Zoro mumbled, trying to gain some time to think. 

”Someone important then, I presume.” 

”Yeah, uh…” Zoro cleared his throat. ”I need to tell you guys something.” 

No turning back now, unless he came up with a really good lie. But he was _not_ about to pretend to date Nami again. That had been traumatizing enough as it was, and it wasn’t like he was discreet about being gay, so it’d probably cause some really unnecessary confusion. 

”I have a boyfriend,” he blurted out. ”Kinda. Like it’s not official or anything but it’s pretty serious-” 

”Congratulations,” Mihawk interrupted him.

”Poor guy,” Perona said. 

”Thank you and fuck you.” Zoro nodded to Mihawk then glared at Perona, before continuing. ”There’s just a bit of an issue. And you have to promise not to be mad.” 

”I can’t promise anything.” Mihawk looked a bit concerned. ”But I can try.” 

Zoro took a deep breath. He’d said he’d try. And Mihawk was pretty good at trying. 

”He’s Judge Vinsmoke’s son.” 

Sanji kicked his boots off and made for the staircase before anyone would get it in their head to ask him where he’d been. He’d considered grabbing some dinner, but eventually decided against it, since he could just as well get to work early and eat some leftovers there. Zeff would complain, of course, but he complained about pretty much everything and meant pretty much nothing by it. 

It was a blessing, honestly, that the Baratie had relocated just as Judge had decided to, and it wasn’t something Sanji was entirely willing to chalk up to coincidence, no matter what Zeff said. Yet another item to add to the ever increasing list of things he owed the geezer, it seemed. 

Sanji’s room was at the top floor which was nice because it meant he was three stories away from the dining room, where Judge would loudly express his love of all things just far enough from eugenics to not be outright called eugenics. Furthermore, the fourth floor was the smallest, so his only neighbors were the two guest rooms, instead of any of his brothers’. The only time he’d be sleeping anywhere near his blood relatives in the new house was if Reiju came to visit, which he suspected wouldn’t be often. He knew for a fact he wouldn’t exactly be stoked to come back once he had an excuse to move out. 

Still blissfully undisturbed by any nosy family members, Sanji shut his door and opened his phone, checking to see if he’d gotten any new messages from Zoro. He wasn’t usually one to worry about a late reply, but the talk about meeting Mihawk had made him a bit nervous in general. Not only did Zoro’s foster father look absolutely terrifying, it wasn’t as though Sanji was anonymous and if Mihawk had even heard a little bit about Judge he’d most likely be hostile. Honestly, the alternative would be worse, but it meant a fair bit of trouble for Sanji. 

Zoro hadn’t responded, but there was a message from Zeff, just reminding him to come in for the evening shift tonight. Sanji rolled his eyes. As if he would forget. He shot Zeff a snarky reply about how he really ought to trust his employees more, then changed into his work clothes. Might as well get going now, he figured, and he could walk a good chunk of the way. 

A few minutes later he headed out again, after making sure the door to his room was properly locked, and put his headphones on. There was a radio program about the history of food he’d been meaning to listen to for weeks now, and this seemed like a good opportunity to at least get started. 

The Vinsmokes’ estate had probably been a lovely villa once, Sanji thought, as he walked from it. And it still was, of course, just more in theory than in practice. It sat like a watchtower towards the edge of the north side of Blue City, overlooking the town, the highway and the river. Sanji wasn’t sure when it had been built, but it was definitely old, which suited the surrounding forest well. The trees framed the white stone building and made it look like something straight out of a postcard. 

That thought gave Sanji an idea, and he stopped, turning to face the house. Making sure he had a good view of it, he snapped a picture and sent it to Reiju. He tried to come up with some kind of caption to go with it, but in the end all he wrote was ”all set up”. That wasn’t necessarily true, and it had been almost a month since they moved in so it wasn’t relevant either, but it was the best he could come up with, and it had been a long time since he talked to Reiju. 

Just moments after sending the text, he noticed he had a discord notification for the group chat he shared with Zoro and the others, and opened it as he slowly continued walking. 

**_godusopp:_ ** _@everyone new kat blaque video watch it or die_

**_monkey-the-chunkey:_ ** _sweet!_

**_z0r0:_ ** _can’t rn have some stuff going on_

**_z0r0:_ ** _but yea what luffy said_

So Zoro could respond in the group chat but not to him, huh. It shouldn’t hurt as much as it did but once again, Sanji was stressed out enough as it was. He forced himself to stay calm and after some consideration, decided to send Zoro a DM. After all, he could have just forgotten, Sanji reminded himself. 

**_snoodles:_ ** _you good? need any help with the stuff going on?_

He continued walking, a little calmer now, which let him focus on the radio program. It was interesting, but a bit long-winded and by the time he reached the Baratie he’d only gotten through about a quarter of it. 

”This early enough for you?” he quirked an eyebrow at Zeff, and only got a grunt in response, as the head chef locked the back door after him. Being a part timer, Sanji was far from having key privileges, so he had to be let both out and into the little hallway behind the personel area of the Baratie. 

”I’m assuming you’ll want something to eat,” Zeff huffed as they entered the kitchen. 

”If you serve anything edible here,” Sanji shot back. 

That was not dignified with a response, instead Zeff just made for a the fridge towards the back of the room where the leftovers were stored and grabbed a plate of steak for Sanji. 

”Eat in the back room, and be done by seven,” he ordered, then added. ”And don’t forget to wash your plate.” 

Sanji rolled his eyes. Forty-five minutes would be more than enough, so he didn’t see why Zeff had to worry. And _of course_ Sanji was gonna wash his plate, that didn’t need to be stated. 

He made for the back room and sat down at the circular, a bit unsteady table. A few newspapers were laid out, for the other chefs to read during their breaks, but Sanji opted to pick up his phone instead, finding that he finally had a few messages from Zoro. 

**_z0r0:_ ** _sorry I haven’t been responding_

**_z0r0:_ ** _I talked to mihawk and things went kinda eh_

**_z0r0:_ ** _you don’t have to worry tho I sorted things out_

**_z0r0:_ ** _ish_

**_z0r0:_ ** _point is you’re invited to dinner this sunday_

Sanji nearly choked on his food, and was sent into a violent coughing fit. Sunday would be…three days from now. Not nearly enough time for him to even pick an outfit, let alone mentally prepare himself for meeting Dracule Mihawk. Especially with that _’kinda eh’_ hanging over his head. What the fuck was that even supposed to mean? Sanji had a strong urge to just call Zoro and yell at him, but forced himself to write instead. He could yell once his shift was over. 

**_snoodles:_ ** _that seems a bit sudden doesn’t it?_

**_z0r0:_ ** _ik_

**_z0r0:_ ** _I tried telling him but he wouldn’t hear it_

**_z0r0:_ ** _think you can say you’re sick or something?_

**_snoodles:_ ** _canceling that late is really impolite_

**_snoodles:_ ** _can’t I just say sunday doesn’t work and postpone it?_

**_z0r0:_ ** _idk he’s acting really weird about it_

**_z0r0:_ ** _don’t take this the wrong way but he might think you’re trying to sneak out of it_

**_z0r0:_ ** _he REALLY doesn’t like your family dude_

**_snoodles:_ ** _understandable_

**_snoodles:_ ** _have you seen judge’s twitter?_

**_z0r0:_ ** _I simply choose not to see it_

**_snoodles:_ ** _good for you tbh_

**_snoodles:_ ** _more to the point tho how are we gonna go about this?_

**_snoodles:_ ** _think I can convince mr goth anime legs I’m not an actual monster in one evening_

**_z0r0:_ ** _with how charming you are it shouldn’t be that big of a problem_

**_snoodles:_ ** _is that sarcasm or a genuine compliment_

**_z0r0:_ ** _genuine_

**_snoodles:_ ** _oh dear_

**_snoodles:_ ** _it’s that bad huh_

**_z0r0:_ ** _it’ll be fine_

**_z0r0:_ ** _we have 3 days to prepare_

**_z0r0:_ ** _worst case scenario we can always ask the others for help_

**_snoodles:_ ** _emphasis on worst case scenario_

**_z0r0:_ ** _of course_

”Hey, geezer,” Sanji said, a while later, when he and Zeff were both stood over a different order. ”I’m in a bit of a situation.” 

”Let’s hear it.” 

”So basically I have this kinda boyfriend.” He cut into an onion, making sure to work fast so as to avoid getting all teary eyed. ”Like, it’s nothing official yet but I’d say it’s pretty serious. We’re sending each other ’ILY’s and stuff.” 

”That’s incomprehensible to me, but congratulations.” Zeff nodded. ”Anyone I know?” 

”He’s hard to miss. Green hair, looks like a piece of marimo out of its tank.” 

”Oh, Mihawk’s boy.” 

”Yeah, so…” Sanji paused to scrape the onions into the frying pan, then continued as he stirred them around with his spatula, making sure to get them all evenly fried. ”Since it’s pretty serious and all, he decided to tell Mihawk about it, and now I’m invited for dinner. Only problem is I don’t know if it’s to get to know me or murder me.” 

”Seen your old man’s twitter has he?” Zeff asked and Sanji sighed. 

”Or something like it,” he muttered. ”So do you think I should go?” 

”I don’t see why you shouldn’t.” Zeff leaned over Sanji’s frying pan and frowned. ”And you need to stir the onions more.” 

”Don’t tell me how to do my job,” Sanji huffed, then proceeded to do exactly as Zeff had told him. ”And I suppose you’re right. About the dinner.” 

”You’ll be alright, _petite aubergine._ ” 

”Thanks.” 

They fell silent, both of them working on their orders, and Sanji probably a bit too distracted. Fortunately, no accidents happened, and by the time he finished the plate and could send it out he actually had a pretty decent idea of what to wear. 

”Hey geezer,” he tapped Zeff’s shoulder lightly and got a hum in response. ”Is it okay if I bring him here some time?” 

Zeff was silent for a moment, as if the question had startled him. 

”Of course,” he finally said. ”Of course you should. Just not while you’re working. I don’t want you getting distracted on your shift.” 

Zoro was starting to regret the whole affair. 

It wasn’t enough that Mihawk had looked like he was about to throw up as he extended Sanji’s invitation, he also seemed to be going all in with the dinner. Which meant Zoro and Perona had been violently dragged away from their regular Saturday activities (watching WWE reruns, cyberbullying incels) to go for a shopping run. They’d been promised one Ben and Jerry’s each for the trouble, but only after Mihawk had made it clear that it wasn’t a choice in any way whatsoever. 

Now they were at the supermarket, Mihawk pushing a shopping cart with the kind of energy that made the thing seem more like a warship than a poorly constructed metal cage on wheels. He powered through the isles with the ferocity of a tiger, striking down on the ingredients he’d need like a hawk on its prey and otherwise bringing animal metaphors to mind. Now and then he’d send Zoro or Perona out on a side quest, which gave Zoro a few windows to check the group chat. 

**_namey01:_ ** _you are all so annoying. god bless._

**_godusopp:_ ** _all I’m saying is if we stage a disappearance they don’t have to worry about the dinner_

**_snoodles:_ ** _you are doing like_

**_snoodles:_ ** _the opposite of helping_

**_snoodles:_ ** _aren’t you supposed to be the writer_

**_godusopp:_ ** _okay but in all fairness_

**_snoodles:_ ** _tell me what to say to impress the hawk_

**_godusopp:_ ** _you aren’t even humoring my idea_

**_godusopp:_ ** _and hell yea I’m a writer_

**_godusopp:_ ** _I’ll write you something_

**_namey01:_ ** _don’t try and script the dinner Sanji that is literally so dumb_

**_snoodles:_ ** _yes ma’am_

**_monkey-the-chunkey:_ ** _simp_

**_godusopp:_ ** _simp_

**_namey01:_ ** _simp_

**_monkey-the-chunkey:_ ** _simp_

**_namey01:_ ** _simp_

**_bibibi:_ ** _simp_

**_bibibi:_ ** _simp_

**_godusopp:_ ** _simp_

**_z0r0:_ ** _simp_

**_snoodles:_ **

**__ **

**_snoodles:_ ** _you’re all horrid I’m suffering here_

**_snoodles:_ ** _I’m not a fucking simp it’s called female supremacy_

**_snoodles:_ ** _but more importantly_

**_bibibi:_ ** _what could be more important than female supremacy?_

**_snoodles:_ ** _you’re right and I’m a fool_

**_bibibi:_ ** _you’re excused_

**_bibibi:_ ** _for now_

**_monkey-the-chunkey:_ ** _xD_

**_namey01:_ **

**__ **

**_monkey-the-chunkey:_ ** _awe you suwpwessing my wights to xD? ówò_

**_godusopp:_ ** _I wish I hadn’t taught you about uwu speak_

**_bibibi:_ ** _YOU’RE BEHIND THIS???_

**_bibibi:_ ** _YOU’RE THE REASON FOR MY SUFFERING?????_

**_namey01:_ ** _not to agree with the simp but we are getting a bit off topic_

**_namey01:_ ** _we’re trying to help zoro and sanji here_

**_z0r0:_ **

__

**_namey01:_ ** _lemme just_

**_simpji:_ ** _what the fuck?_

**_simpji:_ ** _how did you do that?_

**_namey01:_ ** _head of server privileges_

**_namey01:_ ** _anyway_

**_simpji:_ ** _please how do I change back_

**_simpji:_ ** _discord was a mistake_

**_namey01:_ ** _no one tell him how to change it I’ll kick you from the server_

**_namey01:_ ** _so anyway we’re helping the lads_

**_simpro:_ ** _ya tell us what to do_

**_bibibi:_ ** _did you just change your name as well?_

**_simpro:_ ** _it’s called solidarity_

**_godusopp:_ ** _and who says romance is dead_ ❤️

**_namey01:_ ** _ANYWAY_

**_namey01:_ ** _stay on topic you horrid bitches you all owe me money and I’m not afraid to take it back_

**_godusopp:_ ** _yes ma’am_

**_simpji:_ ** _yes ma’am_

**_simpro:_ ** _yes ma’am_

Before Zoro could see what the others would come up with next, he ran into Mihawk and had to put his phone down. He handed over the jar of oregano he’d been carrying, and followed in Mihawk’s footsteps as they continued through the store. None of them said anything for a while, and Zoro was starting to consider picking up his phone again, even if it meant risking a disapproving look. But then, as they reached the meat section and Mihawk began looking over the selections of ground meat, he unfortunately also started asking questions. 

”And you’re sure he’s nothing like his father?” 

”Would I be dating him if he was?!” 

”You said he was your ’kinda’ boyfriend.” Mihawk sounded a bit defensive, which would have been funny under literally any other circumstances. 

”Would I even be kinda dating him if he was?” Zoro retorted and Mihawk muttered a ”suppose not” in response. It didn’t sound too convincing. 

”Listen,” Zoro began, trying to sound as authoritative as possible. ”I get that you’re worried, but I _really_ like this guy, so can you please try to act normal when he comes over?” 

Perona returned at that point, and he quickly added that the previous statement went double for her. 

”Don’t question him, in fact, don’t even talk about his family. Act like you’ve never heard of them, alright?” 

”Of course not,” Perona huffed. ”I have more important things to ask about.” 

That did not bode well, but at least it wasn’t family talk. Literally anything was better than family talk, in this particular situation. 

Worryingly enough, Mihawk didn’t say anything, just grabbed a packet of ground meat and put it in the cart, then moved on to towards the frozen foods. Zoro and Perona followed, eager to make good on his promise of Ben and Jerry’s, and the modd lightened a bit as the two of them got to pestering. 

The group left the frozen section for the checkout, now with three containers of Ben and Jerry’s to top off the cart (Cherry Garcia, Strawberry Cheesecake and Triple Caramel Chunk). Mihawk paid, and then enlisted the kids to help carry the food to the car, where Perona immediately called shotgun, confiding Zoro to the backseat. He sulked about it for a minute, but then got used to the situation and decided he could take the opportunity to check the group chat. 

**_namey01:_ ** _you think it might be best to just try to stay off the topic of family?_

**_namey01:_ ** _like altogether?_

**_simpji:_ ** _I’d love to but that’s not really for me to decide_

**_simpji:_ ** _I do not control the direction at which the conversation moves_

**_godusopp:_ ** _make a proper meme coward_

**_simpji:_ ** _not all of us have a photo editing app on our phones you clown_

**_simpji:_ ** _I have to make do with what I have saved_

**_godusopp:_ ** _you could have asked me to make you one_ 😔

**_simpji:_ ** _it’s not exactly my top priority atm_

**_monkey-the-chunkey:_ ** _can’t you just tell him your family sucks lol_

**_simpji:_ ** _I’d love to but idk if he’ll believe me_

**_simpji:_ ** _zoro’s already told him right_

**_simpji:_ ** _and that didn’t work any miracles_

**_godusopp:_ ** _then prove your worth through actions!!_

**_godusopp:_ ** _bring a flower_

**_godusopp:_ ** _or some chocolates or whatever_

**_godusopp:_ ** _you’re the rich boy you should know how this works_

**_simpji:_ ** _@simpro thoughts?_

**_simpji:_ ** _zoro?_

**_simpji:_ ** _@simpro_

**_simpji:_ ** _@simpro_

**_monkey-the-chunkey:_ ** _oh my fucking god he fucking dead_

**_simpro:_ ** _I’m not dead I’m just shopping_

**_simpro:_ ** _omw home now tho_

**_simpro:_ ** _and I told him to not ask abt family stuff so that’ll give you all the time you need to prove your worth through actions or whatever it was that usopp said_

**_godusopp:_ ** _that was word for word what I said_

**_godusopp:_ ** _I think you’re chatting shit_ 😤

**_namey01:_ ** _do we think he’ll appreciate a flower tho?_

**_namey01:_ ** _like I’ve met him and he seems more like the scented candles type_

**_bibibi:_ ** _everyone is the scented candles type_

**_bibibi:_ ** _and this is the hill I’ll die on_

**_godusopp:_ ** _vivi is right_

**_monkey-the-chunkey:_ ** _I hate scented candles_

**_monkey-the-chunkey:_ ** _all scent no flavor_

**_monkey-the-chunkey:_ ** _what’s the point?_

**_namey01:_ ** _you’re hardly a normal person though luffy_

**_monkey-the-chunkey:_ ** _what’s the point if I’m not being taken to flavortown?_

**_monkey-the-chunkey:_ ** _oh ya that’s true_

Zoro sighed and put his phone down. He loved his friends, of course, but they were kind of useless whenever they tried planning anything. With Vivi having been part of the ball committee way back when, he’d expected her to be a bit organized, but it seemed that that had been a futile hope. 

The rest of the ride home he spent just listening to music and trying to think of ways to solve the problem himself, to no avail. If his talk with Mihawk hadn’t helped then he wasn’t sure what would cut it, which meant the fate of the evening was entirely out of his control. He couldn’t say that made him look forward to it in any way whatsoever. Maybe he should try pretending he was sick instead of Sanji? 

He quickly shot the thought down after remembering the time he’d tried telling Mihawk he was sick to get out of going to school. Mihawk had taken one look at him - up from the morning newspaper - then said ’you’re lying’ in a tone that implied he didn’t have any interest in continuing the conversation. Zoro didn’t consider himself a bad liar, per se, but even after three years under his care he still hadn’t managed to get anything past Mihawk and he didn’t think this would be the time he got a lucky strike in. Especially considering Mihawk seemed determined to get the dinner over and done with as soon as possible. 

They got home later than expected, after an unexpected traffic jam. It didn’t ruin the meat, luckily enough, but the ice cream was nearing the sauce stage and it was quickly decided that it was best to eat it as soon as possible, which in turn meant takeout was in order, since it would be quicker than trying to cook something. Zoro suspected Mihawk was trying to ease the mood a bit, which did go pretty well for a while. Once everyone was done eating, however, they all headed their separate ways. Perona to her room to do god knew what, Mihawk to the living room to watch the evening news and Zoro up to his own room, where he called Sanji. 

It took a while before Sanji responded, which gave Zoro time to get comfortable on the floor, leaning against the side of his bed. 

_”Allô?”_

”Hi, it’s me.” Zoro would have usually insulted Sanji for his french (because really, _french_ ) but he couldn’t quite find the energy for it. 

_”I know it’s you, dipshit. I have your number saved.”_ Sanji retorted, with no feeling whatsoever. Equally nervous, Zoro would imagine. 

”You nervous?” he asked, just in case it was something else. He was a caring boyfriend/kinda-boyfriend. 

_”Oh no I’m cool as a cucumber. Can’t wait to be interrogated by Dracula junior.”_

”That was weak.”

_”I’ll do better when I’m not suffocating from the pressure, thank you.”_

”I suppose that’s understandable.” Zoro sighed, and the two of them fell silent for a moment. There was some rustling on the other end, and Zoro assumed Sanji was sitting down on his bed or something. He kept listening to the noises, feeling strangely content just knowing Sanji was still there, creepy as it may sound when he thought about it, and a thought suddenly struck him.

”Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask,” he began, then paused for a moment to think about how to word things. ”I’ve never had a boyfriend or anything so I wouldn’t know. But is that what we are?” 

Sanji was silent for a long time, enough that Zoro had time to get a little nervous, but finally responded. 

_”I think so, yeah.”_ He sounded a bit surprised, but pleasantly so. _”If you want to, of course.”_

”I do want to.”

_”Cool.”_

”Yeah, great.” Zoro couldn’t help but grin to himself. ”Good to have it cleared up.”

_”Yeah.”_ Sanji snorted. 

”So, I’ll see you tomorrow then.” 

_”See you tomorrow.”_

Sanji had gone to bed on Saturday night feeling calm, a bit fluttery and overall good about life. He woke up on Sunday morning feeling like his heart was trying to leave his chest. In the anxiety way, not the romantic way. 

It did not help that when he went downstairs to shower, it seemed everyone in the house had had the same idea, which meant there was a line of him, Yonji and Ichiji outside the one good bathroom, which Niji was currently using. There were two more, but only one had a shower and trying to change the temperature on it was like playing Russian roulette except you lost every time. Judge had been talking about getting someone to fix it for ages, but it kept getting postponed, and thus five people had to share one shower. Sanji could just have risked the bad one, but he didn’t like the idea of giving up and he was the first one in line which meant he could piss off Yonji and Ichiji by taking his due time. He just had to live with a few minutes of tuning out Yonji’s tirade about how Thanos was the real hero of the marvel cinematic universe. 

Once in the bathroom, Sanji made good on his decision to take all the time ge could get, and stayed in until someone started pounding on the door. Then, he took a bit more time to dry off properly, before leaving and going upstairs without a word to the others. He locked his door, and decided to distract himself by watching Netflix until it was time to get ready, but ended up unable to focus on anything he watched. Switching between _Beastars_ and _She-Ra_ helped a bit, but by the time his alarm reminding him to get ready rang he could still barely remember anything of the two plots. 

He was meant to be at Zoro’s place by six, and had given himself one and a half hour to get ready and head over there, but dressing up went quicker than expected, so by the time he was on his way he had more than double the time it’d take. At first, he considered just wandering for a while, but then he remembered what Vivi had said about the scented candles. Taking a detour past the store felt risky, but wouldn’t actually take that long, so he forced himself to just do it. 

The closest store didn’t have a terribly large selection of scented candles, but Sanji managed to find one with the name _Gothic Cherry_ in a dark red color, which he thought fit perfectly. He paid for the candle, and after some consideration a gift bag too, then made sure to get the price tag off before he packed it up and moved on. Checking the time, he was relieved to find that the detour had, in fact, been a good idea, as he now wasn’t in any hurry but wouldn’t have to hide in the bushes and wait six o’ clock out either. 

He arrived at Zoro’s house a few minutes before six, and forced down the thoughts of waiting for the exact hour, then rang the doorbell. There came some commotion from inside, with Zoro yelling that he’d get the door, then footsteps approached quickly and the door was opened by both Zoro and Perona. 

”Lemme have a look at him,” she shoved Zoro out of the way and extended a hand to Sanji, which he shook, hoping his palms weren’t too sweaty. 

”Hi, I’m Sanji.” He smiled, and Perona nodded. 

”I know. Zoro won’t shut up about you,” she said and Zoro immediately protested that he did _not_ talk about Sanji that much. The two continued arguing as they stepped inside - Zoro leading Sanji with him and then closing the door behind them - and then somehow kept going all the way to the kitchen. There, however, Zoro fell silent, and the conversation shriveled up and died under the stern gaze of Dracule Mihawk, stood beside the table in an apron reading ”World’s best foster parent” and still somehow looking menacing beyond belief. 

”Hi, uh…” Sanji handed over the gift bag, relieved to see that Mihawk actually took it and didn’t just throw it on the ground. ”I got you a little something.” 

”Very considerate of you.” Mihawk nodded and set the candle down on the table, hard enough that the noise made Sanji jump a little. 

”Sit down, everyone,” Mihawk said and gestured to the food sat out on the table. Some sort of meatballs in a tomato sauce, served with rice and bread. Zoro, Sanji and Perona sat down around the table, and were served equal portions of the food before Mihawk joined them and filled his own plate. 

”Dig in,” he then said, and Sanji obediently did as he was told. 

”This is really good.” He tried a smile. 

”Thank you,” Mihawk responded. 

Then it got really, really quiet. 

There was the scraping of cutlery against plates, as all four at the table focused on the food like it was a final exam. Then, Sanji noticed a clock ticking somewhere in the house and spent a good while trying to figure out where exactly it was, until he realized he could hear his own breathing and nearly choked trying to keep it less audible. 

”So Sanji,” Mihawk was the one to break the silence. ”What do your parents do?” 

Sanji choked for real this time, as he’d been in the middle of a sip of water. It ended up in his windpipe and sent him into a violent coughing fit, which only let him catch a quick glimpse of the daggers Zoro glared at Mihawk. 

”Um,” Sanji began then coughed again. ”You might have seen my dad on the news. He does some genetic research. Nothing I really concern myself with.” 

”And your mother?”

”Well, she doesn’t do much of anything anymore.” 

Perona snorted, seemingly the only one to appreciate the admittedly rather grim joke. Or Zoro and Mihawk just didn’t get it. Or they were horrified that Sanji would even joke about that sort of thing. Or- 

”I’m sorry to hear that,” Mihawk nodded solemnly, and Sanji got a slight sense of warmth from his voice for the first time that evening. 

”It’s been a while. I do miss her just, in a different way now. Judge was easier to deal with when she was around, you know?” Sanji forced a smile. Honestly, this was not what he’d been expecting to, nor what he had wanted to be talking about tonight, and he hoped that he wouldn’t have to do any more soul-bearing after this. 

”I see.” Mihawk nodded again. ”And I’m sorry for bringing it up.” 

”Especially considering I specifically told you not to do it,” Zoro muttered. Mihawk didn’t say anything to that, and the table fell into silence once again. 

Sanji took another mouthful of food. 

”This is really good,” he said. 

”Thank you,” Mihawk responded, which made Sanji realize he’d already complimented the food. Never in his life had he wanted a smoke so bad. 

They continued eating, and Sanji once again tried figuring out where he was hearing that clock, since it meant he could tune out the fact that Mihawk was now staring at him. Clocks were fascinating, weren’t they? The inner machinations that made the hands move at a set pace, a pace that really wasn’t more than the ideas of some ancient mathematician, which had persevered for millennia. Truly breathtaking, when you thought about it, the passing of time. 

”You ever seen a ghost?” Perona broke the silence, and Zoro put his fork down with a loud _’clang’_.

”Alright, I’m gonna go show Sanji the garden. Leave you two to be creepy alone.” 

He stood up without waiting for an answer, and Sanji only took a second - to ignore the manners Zeff had beaten into his head - before he got up as well, following Zoro out. 

Sanji had seen the garden before, of course, but he was still always a bit surprised at how well-kept it was. Neat rows of all manner of flowers, two fruit trees that held a perfect shape while looking like they’d never been touched by human hands. The decor, a heavy stone bench and a spiked steel fence with an elaborate gate, made the whole thing look a bit more like a graveyard than Sanji was comfortable with, but did suit Mihawk’s overall aesthetic. 

”I can’t believe him!” Zoro paced across the garden, seemed to consider the bench for a moment, but then just sat down on the ground. 

”The mom thing is an easy mistake to make,” Sanji said, mainly to be nice. 

”Pretty easy one to avoid, too!” 

”I can’t argue with that.” 

”God,” Zoro groaned and leaned his head on the bench, looking up at the sky as if he expected God to respond. ”We should just leave.” 

”Yeah.” Sanji nearly sighed in relief at the suggestion. Maybe they could pop over to Luffy’s place? He was usually home alone and wouldn’t hesitate to let them stay…

”Like leave town, live on the streets until we find an abandoned house or something, then start a Nirvana cover band and dominate the underground rock scene-” 

”Okay now you’re overreacting,” Sanji cut in before Zoro could spiral any further into this weird daydream. ”First of all, we’d need a third member for that, and neither of us can even play an instrument.” 

”I didn’t say it had to be a good cover band.” Zoro still didn’t look at Sanji. 

”I refuse to be part of a bad Nirvana cover band.” Sanji hesitated for a moment, but then sat down on the ground next to Zoro, ignoring the thought of any bugs crawling around. There was a pause, in which none of them did anything, but then Zoro finally straightened up and turned to face Sanji. 

”You’re heartless,” he said, feigning a weak imitation of melodrama that made Sanji snort. 

”I sure am.” 

”Cruel, horrid, wretched, foul-” Zoro continued, seemingly with no intention of stopping, so Sanji had to take matters into his own hands, cutting Zoro off with a kiss. Zoro reciprocated immediately, leaning in for another as soon as Sanji pulled back, this one deeper and lasting longer. Sanji had time to slowly run his hands up Zoro’s shoulder and cup his face before they both pulled back, equally short of breath. 

”So what should we do now?” Sanji asked, then quickly added that if Zoro said ’Nirvana cover band’ he’d be leaving the garden single. 

”I should probably have a talk with him.” Zoro didn’t look thrilled at the prospect. ”And you?” 

”I’ll head down to the Baratie or something.” Sanji shrugged. ”They could use my help closing tonight.” 

”Okay.” Zoro paused, seeming to think for a moment. ”I’ll message you as soon as I can, alright?” 

”Sounds good.” 

They parted ways, Sanji waving to Zoro before he left through the gate, making sure to close it behind himself. He stepped out on the street and sighed deeply, letting some of the tension he’d been holding in go, then slowly started walking towards town. 

Zoro slammed the door to announce his presence, and his mood. In the hallway he passed by Perona, most likely trying to avoid the confrontation which he couldn’t exactly blame her for. He paid her no mind, and instead continued to the kitchen, where Mihawk was still sat at the table. 

”What the fuck is your problem?!” Zoro half yelled, not bothering to try and ease into this. 

”Did Sanji leave?” Mihawk asked, voice level as always, and Zoro found himself wishing he could at least try to match his own energy. 

”Yeah, and I wonder why?” 

”I’m sorry. I was very rude.” It did sound like Mihawk meant it, but that didn’t do much to help his cause, in Zoro’s mind, seeing as there was the problem of Mihawk not apologizing to the person he’d been rude to.

”Don’t go telling _me_ that.” Zoro was finding it hard to stand still and moved from the doorway to the kitchen counter, leaning against it and crossing his arms. ”Try acting like a decent person next time you meet Sanji. That is, if he wants to meet you again.” 

”I know!” Mihawk looked as surprised as Zoro was at how loud the words came out. He was silent for a moment, then cleared his throat and continued, calmer now. 

”I know,” he repeated. ”And I am going to apologize, in person. But I do owe you an apology as well. And an explanation.” 

Zoro didn’t say anything, and remained where he stood with his eyes fixed on Mihawk, waiting for this explanation. After almost a minute, though, he thought it was starting to take a bit too long. 

”I’m waiting,” he said, but Mihawk just shook his head. 

”There’s been a lot on my mind lately, is all I can say right now. I’m sorry.”

”Oh that’s just fucking perfect.” Zoro got up from his leaning with the intention of walking somewhere, but couldn’t decide on where to go so ended up taking a few aimless steps, then shifting his weight from one foot to the other in the same spot. Moving around helped him get some of his energy out, and calm him down a little, but it was still far from enough and he found himself wishing he had a punching bag to take out his frustrations on. 

”Calm down.” Mihawk stood up and crossed the kitchen to get to Zoro. He raised his hands, then left them hanging in mid air for a moment, as if he was considering what he was going to do, before finally taking a firm hold of Zoro’s shoulders, forcing him to stay still. 

”Listen to me, Zoro. I have a very good reason for being scatterbrained, but this is not the time to talk about it.” He paused, and Zoro couldn’t help but feel like it was to let him process things. Like he was a little kid throwing a tantrum. 

”I need to talk to both you and Perona about it,” he continued. ”And I need you to be a bit more levelheaded. Okay?” 

Zoro didn’t say anything, just met Mihawk’s stern gaze with a glare. 

” _Okay_?” Mihawk repeated and Zoro rolled his eyes. 

”Fine,” he spat, then shrugged Mihawk’s hands off his shoulders and left the kitchen without waiting for a continuation to the conversation. He stomped up the stairs, and slammed his door so as to remind everyone in the house that he was still, in fact, pissed. And because it was therapeutic. To him, at least. 

He gave his bedpost a half hearted kick, then cursed loudly at the pain in his toes, sat down on the floor and stared at the wall for a good few minutes.

”Motherfucker,” he muttered, mainly because he hadn’t gotten a good opportunity to call Mihawk that during the actual argument. Tempted to get it done via text, he opened his phone and soon changed his mind when he remembered he’d promised to message Sanji. 

**_z0r0:_ ** _yelled at him a bit and he knows he’s an idiot at least_

**_z0r0:_ ** _he wants to apologize in person_

**_snoodles:_ ** _what a king_

**_snoodles:_ ** _actually that gives me an idea hold on_

**_snoodles:_ ** _think you can convince him and Perona to pop down to the restaurant after hours tonight?_

**_snoodles:_ ** _like around ten?_

**_z0r0:_ ** _I’ll drag him if I have to_

**_z0r0:_ ** _vampires are nocturnal anyway_

**_snoodles:_ ** _that’s the spirit!_

**_snoodles:_ ** _see you there_

**_z0r0:_ ** _aight_

He thought it best not to ask why, trusting that Sanji wasn’t planning an assassination as retribution. That seemed a bit harsh, even by Sanji-standards. 

Zoro thought about going out to talk to Mihawk and Perona at first, but finally opted to send them both a text each saying they were invited out to the Baratie at ten tonight, and that it was by no means optional. Perona, to his surprise, actually said yes, as did Mihawk. That was less surprising since he probably still felt guilty, which was fine by Zoro. His anger had simmered down into a general annoyance with everything around him and he decided that before he got it in his head to do something dumb he should just start up the most mind-numbing and most violent game he could find under Steam’s free section. 

He didn’t even read the title of the one he eventually picked, just started it up and got to tearing through as many zombies as he could in the roughly two hours he had to wait before they should be leaving. 

They got to the Baratie late, which Zoro didn’t care about since Sanji _had_ said ’around’ ten. It did seem to make Mihawk a bit nervous though, as he talked a lot, which he mostly did when he was nervous. 

”It’s quite a lovely place,” he informed Zoro and Perona for what felt like the twentieth time. In the short walk from the bus station to the Baratie he’d somehow managed to go over everything from how nice the interior was to how he was on good terms with the head chef. All in all, it mostly made Zoro wonder how in the world he hadn’t ran into Sanji before, but he supposed Sanji’s hours were a bit all over the place. 

The Baratie sat at the corner of a street with mainly older buildings, surrounded by stores advertising everything from eco-friendly belly warmers to lingerie. Zoro had been there before too of course, probably more times than Mihawk, so he knew it to be deceptive in how small it looked from the outside. Stepping in, you’d be greeted with an expansive, if dimly lit dining area, behind which was the kitchen, the stairs to Zeff’s apartment and the backdoor, leading to a small garden. It was the restaurant’s pride and joy, Sanji had told Zoro (though there seemed to be many prides and joys of the Baratie), since they grew most of their spices there. 

Usually, the place would have a menu out and its doors open, but now the only sign of life was Sanji standing in the doorway and smoking. He quickly threw the cigarette away when he saw Zoro and the others coming, and gave them a quick wave before knocking on the door. 

By the time Zoro reached the door, with Mihawk and Perona not far behind, a cook had opened the door, and Sanji held it open to let Zoro pass through. 

”Took you long enough,” he muttered and Zoro just rolled his eyes, heading into the restaurant. He could hear Sanji give a more polite greeting to the others as he studied the interior, looking a bit strange with no one running around. The tables were all cleared, except for one which was set for three, so Zoro didn’t have to do much guesswork to decide where he’d be heading. He made for the table, sat down and was soon joined by Mihawk and Perona. Sanji remained standing, and Zoro was just about to ask why when he started talking. 

”Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the Baratie.” The voice he put on was formal, and would probably sound very serious to anyone who didn’t know Sanji well. It almost made Zoro laugh.

”To repay for the dinner, I will be offering you a free meal, which I’ve prepared myself, with locally sourced and organically produced ingredients.” 

”There’s really no need for-” Mihawk began, but was cut off by Sanji informing him that with it came a serving of the house’s wine, as well as a dessert of the group’s choice, and before he could repeat what he’d been saying, Perona had gotten excited about the dessert part, which prompted Sanji to go get their food. 

It wasn’t long before he came back, and Zoro assumed he’d had the food prepared already. It now sat under a cloche, which Sanji placed in the middle of the table. 

”Before anything else,” Mihawk said. ”I owe you an apology. I acted quite rudely over our last meal.” 

”Nothing to worry about.” Sanji shook his head with a slight smile. ”All is forgiven, just enjoy your food.” 

He picked the cloche up, releasing a cloud of steam and letting out a smell that made Zoro’s mouth water. The dish wasn’t one he recognized, but it wasn’t exactly a mystery what was in it since most of it was clearly visible. Sanji still explained it, though.

” _Pasta linguine frutti di mare-_ a fresh pasta with shrimp, mussels and white wine. A favorite of mine.” 

After finishing, he backed away from the table slightly, which Zoro took to mean he was free to dig in. He hadn’t eaten nearly enough for dinner and now he was starving, so he served himself a generous portion before letting Perona have her turn. Mihawk was the last to fill his plate, doing so a lot slower than Zoro and Perona, which seemed a bit odd to Zoro but wasn’t something he dwelled on, too focused on his food. 

He didn’t wait for an all clear from Sanji to start eating, just dug in and nearly melted at the taste. It wasn’t the first time he’d eaten Sanji’s cooking, of course. He would often be roped into cooking something for their friend group when they hung out, but that was working with whatever had been left to rot in Luffy’s fridge. Proper ingredients made a world of difference, and Zoro had to fight the urge to wolf the food down, savoring it for as long as he could. 

”Whoa!” Perona sounded as impressed as Zoro was. ”This is incredible. I’ll be expecting free meals in the future.” 

”It will be my pleasure.” Sanji bowed slightly, then shot Zoro a satisfied smirk, which Zoro couldn’t help but return with a smile around the mouthful of food he was still chewing. 

”Yes, it’s quite delicious.” Mihawk sounded a little less enthusiastic and Zoro rolled his eyes. Apologizing was fine, but actually trying to act nice seemed to be too much to ask. Whatever, he could be a grouch if he wanted. Zoro was too busy eating. 

The dinner went on, not nearly long enough in Zoro’s opinion, and by the end of it he was so full he could barely imagine having dessert. He’d at least need a break before it, which seemed to be the case with Perona as well. Mihawk still didn’t show much reaction to the food, but Zoro had decided not to get riled up about that, since a positive attitude was key to living a good life. 

”Everyone satisfied?” Sanji stepped closer, resting his elbows on the table. ”Anyone want a second serving? Mihawk?” 

”Oh no I-” Mihawk suddenly looked a little embarrassed. ”It was very well made. You’re a talented cook. But I must admit I…I’m not too fond of shrimp.” 

”It’s okay, you can say you hate it,” Sanji responded with a shrug and Mihawk actually looked even more embarrassed, to the point where it was getting a bit sad to watch. 

”I wouldn’t go so far as _hate_ per se-” he began, but was cut off by Sanji.

”No, I mean, you can say you hate it, because I know you hate it. Because I asked Zeff.” 

Perona didn’t say a word. Zoro didn’t say a word. Mihawk’s jaw actually, physically dropped. If only slightly. 

”You-” Mihawk was once again cut off, as a loud groan came from the door to the kitchen, where an older, blonde man in a chef’s hat had appeared. Zoro was no detective, but he thought he wouldn’t be too far off in guessing that this was Zeff. 

”I can’t believe how long I had to stand there.” He had a pronounced french accent, and Zoro couldn’t help but wonder if that was where Sanji got it from. 

”You couldn’t have dropped the ball a bit earlier?” Zeff continued, now leaving the kitchen door to come closer and ruffle Sanji’s hair, which got him a high-pitched _’casse-toi’._ Zoro had no idea what it meant, but it sounded rude. 

”Sorry my impeccable comedic timing doesn’t go well with your old age, geezer,” Sanji shot back. Zeff glared at him, but didn’t continue the bickering, just sighed and ruffled Sanji’s hair again. 

”Say what you will about this idiot son of mine, but at least he’s got a sense of humor.” He paused for a moment. ”Allegedly.” 

Zoro wasn’t really sure what to say, nor who to look at, but he ended up focusing on Mihawk, as the multiple expressions passing over his face were interesting to say the least. The surprise lingered, then changed into something almost resembling annoyance, only to go back to surprise and finally a baffled grin. He snorted, then burst into a full out laugh. 

”Seems I made a powerful enemy earlier,” he managed to get out between bursts of laughter.

”Damn straight.” Sanji nodded. ”Now tell me what you want for dessert.” 

It was a pleasant dinner, with some more chef’s being introduced and joining in on the home made ice cream, and by the time they split up it was way past midnight. No buses would take Zoro, Perona and Mihawk home at this hour, but none of them minded much. It was a pleasant walk, the summer night keeping them warm, and with few others out. Zoro and Perona were having a heated discussion about _Sweeney Todd,_ but as they reached the final road to their house, a bit shielded from the town by trees, Mihawk interrupted them. 

”I have something I must talk to you two about.” 

Zoro stopped immediately, recognizing the phrasing. He turned to look back at Mihawk, suddenly feeling a bit anxious about what this thing was. If it had been making him nervous for a while, it had to be something that was at best complicated and at worst _really_ bad, didn’t it? 

”What is it then?” Perona asked, which certainly made things easier for everyone involved, since it cut straight to the point. Zoro would have to thank her later, he thought. 

”I’ve done some thinking…” Mihawk began, talking slowly as if he considered each word carefully. ”About our situation. Our family situation. And bear in mind, this is only if you want to but well, the long and short of it is that I would like to look into adopting you two. With your permission, of course.” 

Zoro had no idea what to say. He felt as though he hadn’t properly heard what Mihawk was saying, but it could just be that he didn’t quite believe it. It wasn’t something he’d ever properly considered, and even as Perona cheered loudly and ran back to give Mihawk a hug, he couldn’t bring himself to move. He stayed where he stood, with the sentence repeating over and over, mixing with the hundreds of questions his brain could suddenly conjure up, until the word ’adoption’ started to lose meaning. 

Then, Perona looked back at him, gave a stern glare and said ”Get over here.”, sweeping every coherent thought away in just a moment and sending Zoro jogging back to throw himself into the hug. 

**Author's Note:**

> comment for gay rights also fambily


End file.
